This year marks the 125th an-niversary of the signing of theSecond Morrill Act of 1890

and the creation of the University ofArkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) andthe 18 other historically black land-grant universities (the 1890s). JustinMorrill, the author of the Act, be-lieved that all people deserved theright to education regardless of raceor social class. e School of Agri-culture, Fisheries and Human Sci-ences (SAFHS) held several eventsthroughout the year to celebrate itshistory of educational access andcommunity advancement as an1890 land-grant university.

e year of celebration at UAPBkicked off with the 59th AnnualRural Life Conference, which fea-tured workshops on topics such asopportunities in agriculture, healthydiets and chronic disease prevention,livestock management and forestry.James E. Tillman Sr., regional con-servationist for the Natural Re-sources Conservation Service andUAPB alumnus, delivered the S.A.Haley Memorial Lecture. Dr. AnnM. Bartuska, deputy undersecretaryfor research, education and econom-ics at the U.S. Department of Agri-culture, spoke at the luncheon.

In March, SAFHS and theAlumni Association hosted aluncheon in honor of UAPB Chan-cellor Dr. Laurence B. Alexanderand in recognition of the 125th an-niversary of the Second Morrill Act.Faculty, staff, alumni and govern-ment and industry representatives

September 17Agriculture Field Day7:30 a.m. - registration8:30 a.m. - welcome9:00 a.m. - tours beginUniversity of Arkansas at Pine BluffAgriculture Research Fields

September 24Aquatic Sciences Day9:30 a.m. - noonUniversity of Arkansas at Pine BluffAquaculture/Fisheries CenterA fun day of learning about aquaculture/fish-eries for high school students. Pre-register bycalling Delila urman at 870-575-8968.

Upcoming Dates and Events

SAFHS Joins in 125th Anniversary Celebration

continued on pages 4 and 5

Dr. Ann M. Bartuska, USDA deputy under secretary for research, education and economics was the luncheonspeaker at the Rural Life Conference.

Dr. James O. Garner Jr., former SAFHS dean/director, presented a plaque to Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, UAPBchancellor, during the Alumni Association Luncheon.

Abraham Carpenter, a local farmer, gave the “farmer’s perspective” during the Alumni Association Chancellor’sLuncheon.

James E. Tillman Sr., NRCS regional conservationist forthe Southeast, delivered the Rural Life Conference S.A.Haley Memorial Lecture.

Univers i ty of Arkansas at P ine B lu ff – School of Agr icu l tu re, F isher ies and Human Sc iences

Summer 2015

Summer 2015 has been marked bytwo administrative changes in SAFHS.Dr. Edmund R. Buckner was namedinterim dean/director of SAFHS, follow-ing the retirement of Dr. James O. Gar-ner, Jr. In this position, Dr. Buckner willbe responsible for the academic, re-search, Extension and international pro-grams of the School and the

management of its resources, including faculty and staff,physical facilities and budget.

Dr. Buckner was appointed as an assistant professorof fisheries in 2001. He currently holds the rank of profes-sor with working assignments in all three areas of theland grant trilogy of teaching, research and Extension.During his tenure with the University, Dr. Buckner hassecured more than $3.8 million in external grant funding.

Prior to coming to UAPB, Dr. Buckner worked withthe United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a Biologistand on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Task Force Coor-dinator where he was the lead writer in draing theUpper Mississippi River Conservation Act (106th Con-gress, H.R. 1013).

A native of Dermott, Arkansas, he has a bachelor’s de-gree in agriculture (fisheries biology emphasis) fromUAPB, a master’s degree in natural resources manage-ment from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Pointand a doctoral degree in natural resources policy and lawfrom Purdue University.

Dr. Rebecca Lochmann was namedinterim chair of the UAPB Departmentof Aquaculture and Fisheries and in-terim director of the Aquaculture/ Fish-eries Center of Excellence. In thisposition, she will administer overall ac-tivities related to the Center in the areasof instruction, research and Extension.She will be responsible for planning re-

search, education and Extension programs relevant to theaquaculture and natural resource industries and to thestate of Arkansas. As principle liaison for the Center, shewill work with local producers and industry councils.Also, she will supervise the ponds and equipment at theuniversity research station, as well as the university’s fourfish diagnostic labs.

Prior to this position, Dr. Lochmann served as profes-sor of aquaculture/fisheries at UAPB since 1996. Her re-search focus is fish nutrition with an emphasis on smallcyprinids (baitfish), channel catfish and largemouth bass.Her most recent research focuses on alternative proteinand lipid sources in fish diets and improving the productquality of foodfish for consumers. While at UAPB, shehas procured dozens of research grants for the universityand local industry.

A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she has a bache-lor’s degree in zoology from Louisiana State University, amaster’s degree in marine biology from the Florida Insti-tute of Technology and a doctoral degree in wildlife andfisheries science from Texas A&M University.

2 SAFHS Highlights

Administrative Changes in SAFHS

Dr. Edmund R. Buckner Dr. Rebecca Lochmann

UAPB graduated its first doctoralstudent in June when Ganesh KumarKarunakaran received a doctorate inaquaculture/fisheries. He was the firststudent to enroll in the inaugural doc-toral program aer it was establishedin 2011.

“Ganesh was an outstanding stu-dent, and it has been very gratifying towatch him become the first graduate ofour Ph.D. program,” Dr. RebeccaLochmann, interim chair of the UAPBDepartment of Aquaculture and Fish-eries, said. “With his combination ofeducation, skills and personal qualities,he will have many interesting and chal-lenging career options ahead of him.”

Karunakaran’sdissertation was ti-tled “Economicsand Adoption ofAlternate CatfishProduction Tech-nologies.” He pre-sented many of theresults of his disser-tation work at na-

tional and international scientificmeetings. Some of his work was se-lected for presentation earlier this yearat the triennial Research Symposiumof the Catfish Farmers of America. escientific journal, “Reviews in FisheriesScience and Aquaculture,” has ac-

cepted a manuscript from his disserta-tion for publication. ree other man-uscripts from Karunakar’s dissertationare in various stages of review.

Doctoral students must meet a series of rigorous milestones that in-cludes the formation of a dissertationcommittee and the finalization of aplan of study by the end of their firstsemester and the completion of a dissertation proposal within 200 days of enrolling in the program. Additionally, the candidates must passa preliminary examination that in-cludes five days of written exams, in-cluding a comprehensive exam and anoral exam.

UAPB Graduates First Aquaculture/Fisheries Doctoral Student

Dr. Ganesh KumarKarunakaran

3Summer 2015

At an office in the bustling gar-ment district of downtown LosAngeles, 2010 alumna Carnita

Nicole Whimper finds fulfillment in hercreative flexibility in a career in corpo-rate fashion. As a junior assistant buyerfor the Burlington Coat Factory’s WestCoast buying office, she uses her enthu-siasm for the fashion industry to helpdetermine the retailer’s fashion garmentsfor the current and upcoming seasons.

Whimper, a native of Pine Bluff, isresponsible for the selection of juniorgirls tops for 534 stores in 44 states. Sheworks with vendors and attends fashionmarkets to select and negotiate for prod-ucts that meet customer needs at com-petitive prices.

In addition to product procurement,Whimper participates in the develop-ment process. “I enjoy being able to con-tribute to the production aspects of thejob, whether it’s putting together ideasfor a screen tee or choosing the fabric orsilhouette of a garment to be producedfor our stores,” she said.

Vendors hope to create a list of gar-ments that Burlington Coat Factory willconsistently purchase and Whimperworks with them to finalize product

specifications. In a typical meeting witha vendor, Whimper communicates hercompany’s current needs as well as herown observations of current fashiontrends.

“Let’s say I go into a meeting and Iknow we are looking for feminine prettytops,” she said. “I tell the vendor some ofthe trends I saw last time I went shop-ping – lace or crochet designs, for exam-ple – and indicate the colors or designsthat usually sell best for us. They thenmock up a full production of what wewant on specific top types such as regu-lar T-shirts or V-necks.”

In addition to her day job, Whimperenjoys entrepreneurial pursuits. In May2015, she launched her own swimwearboutique, Bare Swim. Though the cata-log currently features wholesale designs,she has already sketched up her own de-signs for future product releases.

She said the process of starting abusiness from scratch has been challeng-ing and fun. In addition to procuring theitems for sale, she set up a website,www.bareswim.com, and coordinatedwith local models, photographers andmakeup artists over social media to setup a full photo shoot for marketing materials.

Whimper said the business is off toa good start. She was even invited toparticipate at Los Angeles Swim Week.Though she will not be able to attend theannual swimwear event this year, shehopes to in the future.

Whimper received bachelor’s de-grees in business marketing and agricul-tural business from UAPB, and amaster’s degree in business economicsfrom the University of Arkansas atFayetteville.

“The marketing instruction andchallenging coursework at UAPB helpedprepare me for my career,” Whimpersaid. “One of the most helpful exerciseswas creating a full business plan fromscratch, including backend informationsuch as target market demographics.These are the kinds of things I think

about now in my career at Burlington aswe market to people from different agegroups or regions of the country.”

While at UAPB Whimper was activein several organizations including theDelta Eta Chapter of Delta Sigma ThetaSorority, INC. and the Black EssenceModeling Team. She was the co-captainof the frontline dance team Golden Girlsfor the Marching Musical Machine ofthe Mid-South (M4) band and was cap-tain of the Spirit Team. She graduatedwith honors from Pine Bluff HighSchool and was president of her class.

That Whimper works in the historicCooper Building in an environmentmarked by branded and non-brandedshowrooms such as 7 For All Mankind,Alice + Olivia, Halston Heritage andLevi’s is testament to her lifelong love forfashion.

She said her mother, Alneta Whim-per, was an early influence on her career.

“When I was growing up, my momworked in fashion and loved to shop justas much,” Whimper said. “We wouldtake shopping trips to Little Rock almostevery weekend, putting outfits togetherfor our family. So much of my interest infashion comes from her.”

Whimper credits her father, CarlWhimper, with teaching her how to bebusiness-minded, outgoing and hard-working. Mr. Whimper, a 1975 graduateof UAPB, was the director of media rela-tions for athletics at UAPB and laterserved as the assistant director of stu-dent recruitment.

Whimper advises students to startthinking about their career while in col-lege by joining student organizationsand seeking out pertinent internships intheir fields of interest.

“Participating in organizationsbuilds character, shows leadership anddevelops skills not learned in the class-room that can translate into experience,”she said. “This makes you a better candi-date for an internship that can give youwork experience and knowledge.”

Alumni Spotlight — Carnita Whimper

Alumna Carnita Nicole Whimper poses beside some ofthe garments she procures as junior assistant buyer forthe Burlington Coat Factory’s West Coast buying office inLos Angeles.

Carla Martin, interim vice chancellor for finance and administration, emceed the 1890 Day Wellness Walk/Run andHealth Fair, which celebrated UAPB’s history as an 1890 land-grant institution.

1890 Wellness Walk/Run administrators and participant winners, left to right: Carla Martin, interim vice chancellor for finance and administration; ASM Sorker, graduate student of horticulture and manager of the UAPB greenhouse;Sharoya Simmons, sophomore industrial technology management and applied engineering major; Salonica Hunter,sophomore mass communications major; Dr. James O. Garner Jr., former dean/director for the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences; and Dr. Edmund R. Buckner, interim dean/director for SAFHS.

The health fair included line dancing, Zumba classes,health screenings and educational sessions on healthand wellness.

More than 160 walkers/runners participated in the 1890Wellness Walk/Run.

gathered to greet the chancellor andpraise the School for its educationalopportunities. Dr. Alexander ex-pressed the pride he felt for havingthe chance to lead an 1890 land-grant university, which was estab-lished merely a decade aer theabolition of slavery.

In mid-April, SAFHS hosted the1890 Day Wellness Walk/Run andHealth Fair. e health-themedevent featured a 1.890-mile walk/run, health screenings, Zumbaclasses and educational sessions onhealth and wellness, diabetes aware-ness, CPR training and smoking pre-vention. Performances by theMarching Musical Machine of theMidsouth (M4) percussion sectionand the UAPB Spirit Team precededthe walk. e nation’s other 1890universities held similar walks inApril, both to celebrate the 125th an-niversary of the Second Morrill Actand to promote health and exercise.

e 1890s on the Hill Celebra-tion, held in July in Washington,D.C., provided all of the nation’s1890 land-grant universities an op-portunity to celebrate their anniver-sary milestone together. Held at theLibrary of Congress, the event in-cluded exhibits on the latest researchout of each of the universities,speeches by Congressional membersand a convocation.

4 SAFHS Highlights

continued from page 1

5Summer 2015

A delegation from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff participated recently in the 1890s on the Hill Celebration,held in Washington, D.C., in commemoration of the signing of the Second Morrill Act of 1890.

Dr. Jaheon Koo explains his “Transformation of Fruits andVegetables to Value-added Products” research to an1890s on the Hill exhibition participant.

Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, UAPB chancellor, gave introductions during the 125th Anniversary Dinner at theHyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Tom Vilsak, the nation's 30th Secretary of Agriculture, addressed the 1890 land-grant universities during theevent’s convocation.

UAPB faculty and students presented research at the Library of Congress. From left to right: Greyson Farris, graduatestudent of aquaculture/fisheries; Dr. Rebecca Lochmann, interim chair of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries;Michele Thompson, graduate student of aquaculture/fisheries; Dr. Jaheon Koo, associate professor of regulatory science; and Dr. Muthusamy Manoharan, associate professor of agriculture.

The 125th Anniversary of the Signing of the Second Morrill Act Convocation Program was held in the Library of Congress Jefferson Building, Coolidge Auditorium, in Washington, D.C.

6 SAFHS Highlights

Collegiate 4-H Club Opens Food Pantry for UAPB Students

The Collegiate 4-H Club at UAPBrecently partnered with theArkansas Food Bank to open a

food pantry on campus.“e pantry is open to all residential

and commuter students with a valid stu-dent ID card,” said Rita Conley, directorof the Student Success Center at UAPB.“Its purpose is not intended as a solefood source for students, but rather tofill meal gaps from time to time whenstudents are food insecure.”

e initiative was started aer theArkansas Food Bank contacted the of-fice of student involvement at UAPB togauge interest in a college food pantryprogram. e 4-H Club conducted anonline survey of students, staff, facultyand administrators to assess need, sup-port and available resources.

e survey revealed a need andoverwhelming support and adequate re-sources to establish the pantry, Conleysaid. Of 137 students that responded tothe survey, 78 percent reported not hav-ing enough food for themselves or theirhousehold. For half of the student re-sponders, this lack of food occurred fiveor more times during a semester.

“Based on anecdotal evidence, col-lege students are experiencing a higherrisk of food insecurity,” Conley said.“is is because they are considered avulnerable population because they areoen young, socioeconomically disad-vantaged, have low levels of disposableincome, live away from home and expe-rience the increasing tuition and cost ofliving. Additionally, food insecurity bydefinition can be temporary and maypose negative student health and learn-ing outcomes.”

According to the non-profit FeedingAmerica, Arkansas ranks among the top10 most food insecure states in the na-tion, with Jefferson County among thetop 10 most food insecure counties inArkansas. e statistics indicate thatAfrican Americans are twice as likely tobe food insecure.

To address the food insecurity onthe UAPB campus, Pia Woods, familyand consumer sciences/4-H Extensionagent, helped establish the JeffersonCounty 4-H Foundation as the non-profit fiscal agent for a food pantry,Conley said. e pantry was approved asan Arkansas Food Bank Network part-ner in the fall of 2014.

e 4-H Club at UAPB then workedwith the UAPB Minorities in Agricul-ture, Natural Resources and Related Sci-ences (MANRRS) Club to make thepantry their signature community serv-ice project. Students completed requiredtraining, cleaned the pantry location, in-stalled shelving and stocked the pantry.ey also assisted students in complet-ing intake forms and explained how theshopping-style pantry works.

Student volunteers are responsiblefor the day-to-day operation of thepantry with the supervision of the advi-sory board comprised of faculty, staffand administrative representatives. eyhold positions such as volunteer coordi-nator, inventory control manager, pub-licity coordinator, food drivecoordinator and fundraising chairper-son. Because many volunteers areneeded to sustain the pantry, other stu-dent organization members will be re-cruited to volunteer as well.

During the school year, the pantrywill be open on the third ursday ofeach month from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., how-ever, depending on student demand andthe availability of volunteers, the pantrycould see hours extended to twice amonth. Additionally, students in need ofemergency food can visit the pantry byappointment.

Monetary donations to the pantrycan be made payable to the JeffersonCounty 4-H Foundation, the pantry’snon-profit fiscal partner, and mailed toUAPB Student Food Pantry, Depart-ment of Agriculture, 1200 North Uni-versity Drive Mail Slot 4913, Pine Bluff,AR 71601. Because of space limitation,the pantry only accepts specific donatedfood items from a list during plannedand announced food drives. However,community and faith-based organiza-tions are encouraged to sponsor fooddrives for the student pantry.

For more information contact Con-ley at (870) 575-8368 or Teki K.H. Win-ston, co-adviser for the UAPB Collegiate4-H Club, at (870) 575-8538.

Several founders participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the UAPB student food pantry. From left: Ralph Owens,dean of student life at UAPB; Michela Martin, Miss UAPB 2014; Kara Brown, associate dean of students activities atUAPB; Erin Chambers, community relations coordinator for the Arkansas Food Bank; Robert Wall, director of facilitiesmanagement at UAPB; Daniel Perry, president of the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences club at UAPB; and Kahmron Hymes, president of the Collegiate 4-H Club at UAPB.

7Summer 2015

Shaun A. Francishas been appointed asresearch horticulturistfor SAFHS. In this po-sition he will work withsmall and limited-re-source farmers in thestate on a variety ofvegetable and fruit top-ics, with an emphasis

on growing sweet potatoes.Francis will develop strategies to help

local farmers market their produce andmaintain an active research project to sup-port Extension efforts. He will plan, organ-ize and implement Extension and researchprograms and facilitate youth developmentprograms.

Prior to this position, Francis was agraduate research assistant for the horticul-ture department at Virginia Polytechnic In-stitute and State University, where heevaluated conservation tillage as a climatechange adaptation strategy in vegetable pro-duction. From 2011 to 2013, he conductedgraduate research on insect control in sweetpotato production at UAPB.

Francis has a master’s degree in agricul-tural regulations from UAPB and a bache-lor’s degree in agriculture from theUniversity of Guyana.

Dr. Suja Aarat-tuthodiyil has been ap-pointed assistantprofessor of fish pathol-ogy for the Aquacul-ture/Fisheries Center ofExcellence at UAPB. Inthis position she willprovide Extension diag-nostic and research

support for Arkansas aquaculture.Dr. Aarattuthodiyil will oversee UAPB’s

four-lab diagnostic system in the state andwill conduct fish inspections necessary forindustry certification. She will also work todevelop a dynamic Extension educationalprogram focused on fish health and biosecurity.

Prior to this position, Dr. Aarat-tuthodiyil managed a diagnostic and waterquality laboratory for Cargill Foods India.ere, she served shrimp and fish farmers’diagnostic needs and traveled to over 30farms in the West Godavari district ofAndhra Pradesh, India.

Dr. Aarattuthodiyil has a doctoral de-gree in biochemistry and molecular biologyfrom the University of Arkansas for MedicalSciences, a master’s degree in aquacultureand fisheries from UAPB and a master’s de-gree in pathology and microbiology from

the Central Institute ofFisheries Education inMumbai, India.

Dr. Nilima Renuk-das has been appointedlab manager for theUAPB Fish Disease Di-agnostic Laboratory inLonoke, Arkansas. Inthis position she will

provide Extension diagnostic and researchsupport for Arkansas aquaculture.

Prior to this position, Dr. Renukdasworked as a post-doctoral researcher for Dr.Jeonghwang Park, assistant professor ofaquaculture/engineering at UAPB. In thatrole, she conducted studies with hybrid cat-fish, baitfish and largemouth bass. Shegained experience in fish health by volun-teering for the UAPB diagnostic laboratoryduring inspections for farmers as part of theArkansas Baitfish Certification program.

Dr. Renukdas has a doctoral degree inbiotechnology, a masters’ degree in botanyand a bachelor’s degree in botany and bio-medical techniques from the University ofPune in India.

New Appointments in School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Science

SAFHS Graduates 35 Students During Spring Ceremonies

Shaun A. Francis Dr. Suja Aarattuthodiyil Dr. Nilima Renukdas

Twenty-nine undergraduate degrees and six graduate degrees were awarded to School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences

students at UAPB's 152nd Commencement. The faculty procession, left photo, was led by Dr. Rebecca Lochmann, interim chair of the

UAPB Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries and interim director of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence.

SAFHS HighlightsUniversity of Arkansas at Pine BluffMail Slot 49661200 N. University DrivePine Bluff, AR 71601

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SAFHS Highlights was produced by the School of Agriculture,

Fisheries and Human SciencesCommunications Office

in August 2015.

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Send change of address and/orcorrespondence to:

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The annual Spring Cultural Fest fea-tured food and fashion from differ-ent cultures, live music and dance.

Dr. Janette R. Wheat, associate pro-fessor for the Department of Human Sci-ences at UAPB, and her Families AcrossCultures class, hosted the event. Thisyear’s festival theme was “Cultural Fla-vors Beyond the Border.”

“The purpose of the cultural festivalis to promote unity, demonstrate an ap-preciation and tolerance for a diversity ofcultures and showcase an array of inter-national cuisines, fashions, arts, music,mores, traditions and customs of multi-ethnic families’ way of life within a globalsociety,” said Dr. Wheat.

UAPB’s Spring Cultural Fest

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